Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Utah Places: Alpine Loop

There isn't a photo that does any part of it justice. The entire loop is a tour of magnificence, either direction you approach from, the Alpine side, or the Sundance side.

A Profusion of Wildflowers

Wyethia

Timapnogos is the crowning centerpiece throughout the drive. Around every corner there are sights and scenes of wonder to behold.

Epilobium

Every season the tableau changes. From spring to summer through fall, there is never a day that the scene is the same. The road closes sometime early in the winter, whenever county snow plows can no longer push their way safely through the deepening drifts. Then they abandon the road until next spring to the ski touring and snow machines.

The mountain itself is so loved and so popular, there are hundreds of attractions on the sides and within the near vicinity. I will only list a few of the less visited and rarely known. The others, you can find yourself as you wind around the foot of Timp, working your way over that venerable old shoulder.

5 comments:

Probably one of the best spots I have ever been on Timp wasn't on the loop at all, it was out on the west face.

One summer day, when mom and dad had their house in PG, we were looking at the flats along the front of Timp, and noticed a peculiar goldish hue. When we asked the neighbors, they said ther was no way to get up there, and even if you could, there was nothing there. I took that as a challenge. We found a trail that leads past Timponeake Campground, around the north shoulder of the mountain, and out onto the west plateau. Yes, there is a very wide western plateau, but very few go there. One reason is the rock moraine field you have to traverse that is about 200 yards wide, and fairly unstable. The talus slope doesn't have much to support it, so you just go tooling across quickly hoping that it won't slide down the mountain at that particular moment.

Anyway, after we got out to the flats it was covered in a wild profusion of golden eye and mule's ear wyethia and arrowleaf balsamroot. Thick enough to wade through. It was a beautiful display, a show that the mountain puts on privately on it's skirts every summer, and those people down below never had the good sense to evn come up and look!Instead, they're struggling with miserable daisys and fighting with dandelions!

See how much fun you have? I'm one of those daisy people. I do really love daisies. Shastas, in particular, in great, vast seas. They really make me happy. Also, they grow like weeds, and that makes me happy too. I'm not sure there's much you can do to kill them, unless you really, really try.

Shastas are actually a hybrid devloped by Luther Burbank, among other things that great horticulturist accomplished.

I was not demeaning the flower, just pointing out that nature does such a spectacular job without any help, and those pitiful hopeless peple never even go up there, and don't know what unimaginable splendor is growing wild less than 5 miles from their yards! And they've never been there!

That is sad, to see what is so close and never have your imagination prod you to adventure.

A good adventure is so exciting! It gets my blood pumping and makes me feel alive.

I'm feeling the winter blues, and really longing for a good adventure. If only we could have spring break from the winter, just for a couple of weeks, and then have the winter return, that would suit me just fine.

Maybe I need some time in a tanning bed, to soak up some UV rays. Do you think that would help?